"Wait, what?" Uriel tried to tilt his head and body so he could read the letter for himself.
"You're not expelled, are you?" Ethel joked seriously.
Mr. Burton, Felix,
Descendent of a most prestigious and sacred lineage of Wizards and Witches, you are hereby cordially invited to the Governors' Ball on Christmas Eve. You may bring a plus one, and you are most sincerely pleaded that she (or he) be of pureblood bloodline for at least five generations past.
Most Graciously,
Joymother, Frederick.
Uriel read it aloud with Felix holding it open. A rather shocked silence fell on the greenhouse, it was as if even the various plants could not believe Joymother's letter.
"Five generations? I'll bring a Muggle or something!" Felix was the first to speak, with great disdain in his voice.
"You are going?" Socrates now had two reasons not to trust his ears, he like the others considered it obvious Felix would decline, Felix it seemed had other intentions.
"Yeah, Joymother may have a book we need for our Old Gods Research", Felix replied before looking at Joymother's owl. "Leave, he'll wait for my reply."
The silver-feathered owl gave an indignant hoot followed by a shake of its wings and with a flutter she was flying.
"it's a trap, you know that, right?" Emerick voiced.
"I'm not sure it is."
"What else might it be?" Socrates asked in return.
Felix did not vocally reply, instead he motioned them to follow him. He left the greenhouse and making a left turn he took the corridor leading to the Grand Staircase. Up the stairs they went and across more corridors to Professor Jordan's office. Felix knocked on the door before peaking in his head. "Sir, do you have a moment?"
"Only a moment, what can I help you…all with?" Professor Jordan replied sitting behind his desk with a cup of tea at hand looking tired, very tired. Tired enough to not have been sleep deprived for days or even weeks.
""The Origin Book" I have us a way to obtain it", Felix beamed.
"Origin Book?" Uriel asked as if trying to remember something he should be able to remember yet it availed him. "…oooh, you mean the book which got Azrail started on the Old Gods?"
"Right, he says in one of his diaries it was in a friend's of Uncle Alfred's house or something."
"Joymother?" Socrates asked instantly gaining Professor Jordan's attention.
"What does he have to do with this?"
Felix showed him the finely written invitation letter.
"The Headmistress is not going to let you anywhere near this with a hundred-kilometer pole….I can work on that though, what do you hope to achieve? You won't learn anything new from reading it, not about Azrail's beginnings", Professor Jordan tried to dissuade Felix while sipping from his steaming teacup.
"Whatever he read in that book got him started on his hunt for their items. So, maybe in there it says how they all connect and therefore aid us in deducing what Azrail wants with them", Felix in turn tried to convince his Professor of the necessity for him to attend the Ball.
Professor Jordan eyed each of them, one at a time, then focused his saggy eyes on Felix. "Do you not fear a trap? Joymother and Nott were your father's most loyal allies and are helping your brother, willingly or not. So are you going to be walking into a trap?"
"Uriel, how many people do you think will be at that event?"
"The Governors' Ball? Oof…three, four maybe five hundred people if not more. All of domestic and international rich families and anyone who is someone and wants to…secure a good marriage for their money…I mean child. I also received an invitation, although I probably should not read father's reply to it around a Professor."
"Do we really think Joymother, Nott or even my demented brother will attempt anything around a few hundred witnesses when even in Joymother's estate they can't be sure they can contain the aftermath? For all we know there might even be Ministers of Magic invited including our own, no formal charges have been declared on either Joymother or Nott, they are not wanted criminals….as much as they should be. No, I think this is something else", Felix elaborated.
"What may that be?" Either because he was tired beyond measure or because he had learned to listen to Felix on such matters of intrigue and strategy, Professor Jordan did not reject what his pupil was saying.
"I think they smell blood in the water. They were Cillian's allies and using his…our father's dirt on them Azrail is stringing them along, but they don't care about Lethargos or the Shadeglass or any of it. They wanted the Imperium Arcana and their belief in their God-given rights to ruling over the Wizarding and Muggle worlds because of their pureblood whatever. Now, Azrail's losing all the time, he has no money left, he's removed from the inheritance thus he has no other resources, he has gone completely off the ledge and they don't even share the same goals anymore. I'm thinking they want to ditch him. I don't think I'm being invited to a trap. I think I'm walking into a beggar's negotiation, sir."
Professor Jordan took a breath, ready to reply when someone knocked on the door and without waiting to be invited in, Irina entered.
"An interesting theory, Mr. Burton. I'm rather busy right now, but we can discuss it later, perhaps?"
"Yes, sir", They left the office. "Go on, I'll catchup", he told the others and leaned in his ear against the door after they left, trying to listen in on what Irina wanted with Professor Jordan.
"My sources tell me a different version of what happened that day. What really happened in the restricted section of the library when Azrail fled there? Why was he even there? He could have left the castle and instead he decided to barricade himself in a space he could not get out of with Professors and Aurors after him?" Irina was asking, her voice coming through muffled and Felix did not want to risk alerting them to his presence by casting a charm, he knew Professor Jordan protected his office from such spells.
"Your sources are using you", Professor Jordan evaded the question with the truth.
"But they are not lying to me", Irina, it seemed, was as proficient in the game as he was, and even though Felix could not see what was going on inside, he could picture it in his mind. Him sitting behind his desk, trying to drink his tea while she sat in the chair opposite him, her legs crossed, her back leaning gracefully against the chair's back and her blond hair cascading down it as she made unyielding eye contact with the Professor.
"So, you don't care whose bodies you step on so long as you get the next big story?" Felix had expected to hear anger or disgust in Professor Jordan's voice, instead he heard disappointment as if he had expected better of her and was let down.
"I haven't changed since we dated during our fifth year, Ives. And you were just as ambitious as I was back then, which was weird for a Gryffindor", she replied.
"People change, Irina. There is no story here, only sadness and pain", he pleaded her, he was tired of her games.
"There is a story if Professors not only endangered students' lives but downright caused them", she fired back.
"Deaths or death? Stop before it is too late, please."
"Threatening me, Ives?"
"I'm not threatening you, you know me better than that. I don't bark, I bite. You are set on a path to hurt people who have done you neither harm nor wrong."
"Then tell me what really happened and let me assess wrongdoing on my own."
"So, other than a reporter you are now also a member of the Wizengamot? Leave." No longer disappointed but angry his voice left no room for her to reply. Felix left as quietly and as hastily as he could.
Putting on his overcoat, he made his way across the castle's vaulted corridors and granite stairs outside to the grounds and the owlery where he took out a piece of parchment and wrote "I will attend", on it with his signature, placed it in an envelope and wrote "Frederick Joymother, Joymother Estate" at the back, placed it on a school owl's talon. The owl left with a pleased hoot.
A very dissatisfied and downright annoyed cry emanated from the floor below. Ignoring the fetid smell of all the bird droppings he descended the internal spiral causeway to the Owlery's first floor where Caladrius perched in his nest.
"Hello, boy. Don't be mad at me, I wasn't going to send you somewhere I know to be unsafe…this Joymother reply is beneath your majestic silvery brilliance, okay?" He scratched the Augurey under his beak. It gave a conciliatory screech before settling its neck and head between its wings to protect from the cold.
"Into the jackal's den…" Felix thought as the school owl left for its destination. He went back outside, trying to tighten his grip around his school robes and overcoat to protect himself from the biting cold.
The castle dominated the landscape upon its hill with its walls and towers. As the sun set and dusk was taking over day's brilliance lights like fireflies started popping up from within. Felix crossed the grounds the stone bridge leading to the drawbridge and the school's main entrance with haste.
Once inside he ignored dinner in the Great Hall and ascended the Grand Staircase to their new Azrail Research HQ in the previously abandoned classroom.
Closing the door behind him he secured it against unwanted entry and eavesdropping, placed his backpack on one of the chairs and dragged the blackboards and information panels they had created around the desk at the center of the rectangular room. The rest of the desks and chairs had been placed in one of the room's corners so they could have space to move about. "An item that is not an item…what am I missing? For some reason it seems to be important, but we have not found how it connects with Azrail…" He thought to himself and nonverbally begun to examine and revise what new information his friends had added since he last looked at their ongoing research on the Old Gods and Azrail.
Somewhere between reading the new bits of information, writing down comments, questions and writing it all down in his notepad he had dedicated for this task he lost track of the passage of time.
Time flew by when he would study and get his rhythm going, closed in his mind and oblivious to the outside world.
Tap knock Tap tap knock. Someone was alerting him to their presence outside the classroom's door. Lost as he was in his revision of their research the person outside had to repeat the signal four times before Felix's reverie was broken. Without looking back at the door he aimed his wand at it and made a semicircle motion. A small white flash like a neon-light appeared and vanished in a blink and the door opened.
"I didn't see you at dinner, so I brought you some food", Socrates placed a food with various different edible things in it like roast beef, potatoes and various vegetables with a fork.
"The walls are closing in on me. I never thought I'd make it this far, but here I am on my sixth year and only one year away from graduation, who would have thought…the walls are closing in on me…anyway, thanks for the food, I appreciate it" Felix sat in one of the chairs and started wolfing down the food.
"Then face them with your head held high, stomach full and with your friends there to help you. If something is inevitable, face it in your own terms", Socrates replied taking a seat next to him.
"You'll use it one more time…" Felix mumbled between mouthfuls.
"What?"
Felix finished eating with a light burp, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked over at his friend for a moment. "You are the smartest man I know, want to try and answer a question we've been unable to crack for like five to six years now?"
"Of course my friend, if I can", Socrates replied always happy for an intelligence challenge, rubbing his hands together.
"If you can't I don't know anyone who can."
"You vastly underestimate you, vastly. What is the question plaguing you?"
"How can an item not be an item?"
"I thought you'd have answered that in your Charon's Path research if not your knowledge of transfiguration. You already know the answer to that one", Socrates appeared to be genuinely surprised Felix did not already know the answer.
"I don't?"
"We have History of Magic first class of the day the day after tomorrow. If you haven't realised what the answer is by then, I will tell you what you already know. But, I also have a question for you."
"Sure, what is it?"
"You are searching for what your father had on your school's Governors far and wide. Have you searched your family's vault in your wizarding bank?" By the look of utter shock in Felix's face that answer was plain and obvious.
"I was going to search father's study tomorrow…why didn't I or anyone else think of the vault in Gringotts earlier?" Felix facepalmed not knowing whether he should laugh or cry.
"Perhaps it'll come to you after you realise the answer to your question."
"I don't know that one…"
"I need to further improve my sarcasm."
"Ask Claudia, she can help you there. You two are dating after all", Felix tried to remain serious.
"You know?"
Felix gave a gurgled snort. "Of course, it is more obvious than a farting dragon."
"She is incredible, but I think she is in love with another", the switch of mood in Socrates' visage was instantaneous.
"She's told you that?" Felix asked surprised.
"No, I do not believe she even realizes it herself yet, but to someone like me it is obvious."
"I don't know what to say, I hope it all goes okay."
"Disappointment, frustration and sadness are all essential and inescapable parts of life. We haven't broken up yet and I will savour the time until we do. I'll leave you to it, just don't forget to change underwear", Felix understood this attempt at sarcasm, blowing raspberries at his friend, laughing.
A few hours later after dawn Emerick, Ethel and Uriel stood in their HQ and Felix was making his way to Hogsmeade under the Whomping Willow tunnel as fast as he could as a leopard.
"How did you find some in such short notice? This thing takes a month to brew!" Uriel exclaimed taking hold of the vial containing the potion from a grinning Ethel.
"I've my ways. I can procure you anything given enough time and the appropriate fee", she bragged.
"You didn't charge Felix for this!" Uriel continued now chuckling himself.
"You're not Felix", Ethel stated simply with a quick shrug of her shoulders.
"She has you there, mate", Emerick joined the conversation, he too laughing lightly.
"Drink up, you have an hour's worth then you turn into you again, the seminar lasts for fifty minutes, so make sure she doesn't hold you up after or you…we are toast", Ethel explained turning serious.
"Yeah, I'm aware, been down that road before….melon, orange and cat fur, could be worse I guess", Uriel downed the concoction.
"Much, much worse", Emerick laughed as Uriel's face and body started to morph into that of Felix's.
Felix reached his derelict's house's basement in Hogsmeade and losing no time he apparated outside his childhood Manor.